Film Review: Sully

Tom Hanks is back on the big screen in Sully, the true-story about how Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger became the Hero of the Hudson. Sully (directed by Clint Eastwood) goes into a lot of the detail that the media did not, as we go behind closed doors and discover how all involved coped in the aftermath of such a terrible ordeal.

Chesley Sullenberger (Hanks) pulled off the miraculous landing of a damaged Airbus A320 onto the Hudson River in New York after losing both engines due to a bird strike. What’s even more miraculous is the fact that, with 155 souls on board, not a single life was lost. As Sully was being heralded a hero in the media, both he and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) had to defend their decisions in the cockpit to a team carrying out an investigation into the accident. With their jobs and futures on the line, Sully and Jeff must convince the NTSB (National Transport Safety Board) that landing in the Hudson was the right call.

For 42 years, I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15th the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal. ”– Sully to 60 Minutes

What may come as a surprise to many is the fact that very few of the film’s events have been exaggerated in transferring them to the big screen, which often happens with ‘based on a true story’ adaptations. The investigation took much longer than the few days depicted (around 15 months to be exact), and the main NTSB investigators aren’t based on real people, but the intensity and drama of the scenes are faithfully recreated from testimony, giving us an extraordinary glimpse into how unreal the event truly was.

Hanks does a fantastic job channelling the reality of Chesley Sullenberger, a quiet man whose unassuming exterior masks his keen situational insight. It would have been easy for Hanks to play the character in scene-stealing fashion, but his observance of Sully’s true nature is incredibly powerful. He is content to let the characters around him do the heavy lifting in each scene, but manages to always be the one in control.

The main supporting cast is made up of Laura Linney (Sully’s wife, Lorraine) and Aaron Eckhart (Jeff Skiles). While Linney and Hanks never appear on screen together, the two manage to convey the strength of their marriage, and the stresses it comes under as Sully goes through this life changing event, through a series of superb phone conversations. Both the actors and director deserve enormous credit for this.

Eckhart shares most of his scenes with Hanks, and their colleague-like chemistry is never anything but sincere. You never get a sense that these two men are anything but ordinary co-workers caught in an extraordinary situation. It is perfectly authentic, a testament to the two actors’ on-screen chemistry. Though the film bears his name, it is quite clear that without the comradery of his co-pilot and the support of those involved, Sully would not have been able to achieve what he did.

The film uses a series of flashbacks to fill in Sully’s back-story. There are two flashbacks to Sully’s youth – we see when he started flying and an incident while in the Air Force. The others all focus on the series of events leading up to the crash and those after it. While it’s interesting to see some of Sully’s past, it doesn’t really add anything to the film, which is a shame. They seem to be random additions rather than continuing the train of thought.

The water landing didn’t just happen to Sully and his crew, but to all 155 people on board, the first responders and the people of New York. Eastwood gives us just enough of an insight into the other characters involved in this incredible event without damaging the balance of the main story (In fact, the ferry captain depicted in the film is Vince Lombardi – the same ferry captain from that day). The treatment of the reactions of the populace of New York as the events unfold is subtle but effective, with Eastwood never doing more than is needed, but with maximum effect.

Hanks, Eckhart, Eastwood and crew have done a fantastic job bringing this incredible story to the big-screen in an exceptionally faithful fashion. His own experience with emergency water landings from his army days probably gave Eastwood a unique insight into the event, but his directorial credentials would make him the perfect choice anyway. You will leave the cinema in no doubt that heroes are just normal people who succeed when presented with abnormal situations, just like Sully and his co-pilot did on that fateful day over the Hudson.

Geek Ireland Chief of Operations, Film and TV enthusiast who is a Disnerd in every sense of the word: Animation, Pixar, Live action, Marvel and especially, Lucasfilm lover. Also be warned - don't talk to her before she's had at least 1 cup of tea....for your own safety.